Gala Will Honor Helpers of People with Rare Blood Cancers

SAN DIEGO -- On Dec. 2, CURE magazine hosts the fourth annual MPN Heroes Recognition Event, which honors the 2016 MPN Heroes—eight people who have made a difference in the field of rare blood cancers known as myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs).

This year’s event takes place at the Hard Rock Hotel San Diego and is being held prior to the 58th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting.

The honorees will be celebrated for going above and beyond the standard of care, demonstrating leadership within the MPN community and/or a commitment to individual patients. This year’s award recipients include two physicians, a nurse, a caregiver and four patient advocates.

“We celebrate these real-life heroes who work every day helping patients and families. Honoring these outstanding caregivers and advocates reflects our dedication to the cancer community,” CURE Media Group President Michael J. Hennessy, Jr. said in a statement.

A steering committee of patients, advocates and health care professionals selected the honorees from among scores of people and groups nominated by the MPN community. Of these, four awards are going to individuals in the “Commitment to the Individual” category. They are:

• Ross Levine, MD—Dr. Levine has had an enormous impact on MPN research. His contributions include the co-discovery of a key gene mutation, being the development lead in important clinical research and development of drug treatment approaches to clinical trials for MPNs.
• Elliott Winton, MD—Dr. Winton is a researcher who conducted the first bone marrow transplant at Emory University Hospital in 1979. In addition to continuous research, he’s spent endless hours talking with patients at Cancer Support Community, national MPN organizations and local MPN support groups.
• Erin Blackwell, RN, BSN, OCN—Erin is renowned for her compassion and exceptional dedication to MPN patients at the Levine Cancer Institute. She excels at personalized patient care, can recall details about most of her patients and gets back in touch with patients—even during her off-hours.
• Bonnie Blankert, Caregiver—Bonnie left her home and family for two months to care for a friend who needed stem cell transplant surgery due to complications of post-essential thrombocythemia myelofibrosis.

The second category of recipients includes individuals whose continuous efforts have had a significant impact on the broader MPN community:

• David Wallace, Patient Advocate—David publishes PV Reporter and MPN Cancer Connection, informative websites for patients with MPNs. Diagnosed with polycythemia vera (PV), David is devoted to helping other patients get information and resources to help them live with their MPNs.
• Andrew Schorr, Patient Advocate—Andrew’s experiences with chronic lymphocytic leukemia and myelofibrosis inspired him to found Patient Power and Patient Empowerment Network, well‐regarded online portals offering authoritative cancer information. Andrew travels widely to interview top MPN experts and also reaches out to patients in MPN support groups, offering knowledge to help them become more empowered and informed.
• Ann Brazeau, Patient Advocate—Ann is the founder and CEO of MPN Advocacy & Education International. Her devotion to grassroots education and services for the MPN community has made her a legendary patient advocate—especially for underserved populations.
• Patricia Koenig, Patient Advocate—Patricia’s cheerfulness and inner strength encourage others who live with PV. Patients may be searching for hope after they are diagnosed with PV, and they find it when they meet Patricia and hear her story of courage.

Pharmaceutical company Incyte says it will make a $25,000 charitable donation per recipient to an organization engaged in MPN activities.

Joining the honorees as keynote speaker is cancer researcher and Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Siddhartha Mukherjee, MD, PhD, who will share new insights into the causes and cures of cancer. A graduate of Stanford University, Harvard Medical School and Oxford University, Dr. Mukherjee is a cancer specialist whose laboratory is at the forefront of discovering new cancer drugs using innovative biological methods.

Image courtesy CURE